Nut-lock



(No Model.)

G. W. PACKBR.

NUT LOCK.

Patented Feb. 25

!NVENTOR W1TN ESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE XV. PACKER, OF BEEOH GREEK, PENNSYLVANIA.

NUT-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555396, dated February 25, 1896.

Application filed August 15, l895 Serial No. 559,4l0. (No model.)

TO all whom z' t may concerns Be it known that I, GEORGE W. PACKER, of Beech Greek, county of Clinton, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Nut-Locks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to produce a nut-locking device particularly adapted for use upon bolts securing the fish-plates to the adjacent ends of rails of railroad-traeks; and it consists in providing a fish-plate of novel Construction and a not-lock secured to the fish-plate and having longitudinal movement with respect thereto in either direction, and in the employment of a nut-lock-securing plate designed to guard the nut-lock while permitting` of the movement of the latter to accommodate the expansion and contraction of the rails.

In the acconpanying drawings, Figure I is a perspective view of the adjacent ends of a pair of rails, showing my fish-plate, nutlock, and nut-lock-securing plate in position. Fig. II is a horizontal longtudinal section on the line 9 2 of Fig. I. Fig. III is a perspective view of the nut-lock detached.

%eferring to the figures on the drawings, 1 and 2 indicate the adjacent ends of the rails provided with the usual bolt-holes 3 and having Secured thereto a fish-plate 4 of substantially the usual shape, provided with somewhat elongated apertures 5 corelative to the bolt-holes in the rails and secured to the rails by bolts G, the threaded ends of which project a considerable distance beyond the fishplate.

7 indicates a preferably square medial ap- .erture in the fish-plate, surrounded upon the side nearest the rail with a countersunk recess 8 for the reception of the head 9 of a securing-post 10, which extends through the sh-plate and to a considerable distance beyond its face. The head of the post, seated in the recess 8, is designed to be flush with the inside of the fish-plate, as illustrated. Nuts ll are, as usuahscrewed upon the threaded extremities of the bolts and firmly against the fish-plate.

12 indicates my improved nut-lock, which consists of an elongated fiat plate provided with 'elongated nut-apertures 13 of a width corresponding to the smallest diameter of the nuts and with a medial elongated aperture lat of a width corresponding to the diameter of the post 10.

In practice the nut-lock is securedagainst the face of the fish-plate by a nut-lock-securing plate 14, provided with elongated apertures 15 for the reception of the extremties of the bolts, and with a medial aperture 16, within which is designed to fit closely the extremity of the post 10 projecting beyond the nut-lock.

Any suitable means may be enployed for preventing the securng-plate from sliding Ott of the post, but I prefer to employ a pin 17, as shown, extending diametrically through the extremity of said post.

In practice the nuts Secured between the sides of the apertures 13 are prevented from rotating, but are capable of transverse movement under the contraction and expansion of the rails by reason of the length of the apertures. This particular feature, howevernamely, the elongated slots in the plate for securing the nuts-is old and such I do not claim broadly as my invention.

The Construction illustrated and described provides, moreover, for contraction and expansion of the rails and for their continued and unequal contraction and expansion by means of the elongated medial aperture in the nut-lock. This not only permts lateral movement of the nuts within the lock, but also permits of longitudinal movement in either direction of the entire nat-lock, the nut -1ock-securing plate being' immovably secured and serving not only to guard the nutlock but to prevent the accidental unscrewing of the nuts in the event of the mut-lock proper becoming broken.

I do not desire to limit myself to the details of Construction herein shown and described, but reserve to myself the right to vary, modify or change the same within the scope of my invention.

What I claim is- 1. The combination with a pair of rails, secu'ring bolts and nuts, of a fish-plate provided with elongated bolt-apertures, a medial aperture and a countersunk recess, a nutlock provided with elongated nut-apertures and an elongated media] aperture, a nut-lock- IOO seouring plate provided with a medial aperture corresponding to and correlatve with the medial aperture in the fish-plate and with elonga-ted apertures for the recepton of the extremites of the bolts, a seouring-post within the medial apertures in the fish-plate, nutlook and nut-loek-seeurin g plate and provided with a head within the countersunk recess in the fish-plate and flush with the inner face of the latter, and means for seeuring the post, substantially as specified 2. The eombination with a fish-plate provided with a nedal aperture,` a reeess and elongated bolt-apertures, of a seouring-post passing through the medial a perture provided with a head designed tobe seated with- 

